Attachment disorder in children 

Attachment theory and research have greatly enhanced our understanding of the role of parent-child relationships in the development of psychopathology. Yet until now, little has been written on how an attachment perspective can be used to actively inform psychotherapeutic practice. In this invaluable work, Karl Heinz Brisch presents an attachment-oriented framework for assessing and treating patients of all ages. Rich, extended case examples form the core of the book. Demonstrated are the ways attachment-oriented interventions can effectively be used to treat a wide range of patients: couples trying unsuccessfully to conceive, women with severe postpartum depression, children and adolescents with behavioral and emotional disturbances, adults with relationship difficulties and work problems, and others. Applications in short- and long-term psychotherapy are discussed, as well as use of the model in such other contexts as prevention in infant mental health, family therapy, and group work. A vital resource for practitioners, this book is also a compelling text for graduate-level psychotherapy courses. Editorial Reviews Review "This book should be required reading for clinicians and graduate students involved in working with or learning about children and families beset by attachment disorders. While numerous other works review attachment disorders, this outstanding book goes a step further, navigating an easily accessible path into the multifaceted domain of psychodynamic treatment. Evocative case studies are used to illustrate attachment-oriented therapy and how it may be successfully applied across the lifespan."--Howard Steele, PhD, Attachment Research Unit, University College London, UK; Editor, Attachment & Human Development "In this much-needed book, the first of its kind, Brisch brings attachment theory into the consulting room. Through many moving case vignettes, he shows us how he uses countertransference to understand and treat each patient in unique and sensitive ways. In his discussion of childhood and adolescent pathology, Brisch makes clear his conviction that children need both a secure base and the opportunity to explore the world outside the immediate attachment figures. His discussion of an amazing variety of cases illuminates how the dynamics of family interaction have to be understood and treated to relieve children of often crippling symptoms. The way Brisch works with children and families is truly remarkable: he is never intrusive or coercive, but intervenes in sensitive, compelling, and effective ways. Practitioners and trainees in child psychotherapy and parent-infant psychotherapy programs should find this book especially invaluable."--Anni Bergman, PhD, Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, New York University; Program for the Study and Treatment of Parents, Infants and Toddlers, New York Freudian Society "This book couldn't be more timely. After three decades of developmental research establishing the importance of attachment processes in emotional regulation and stress responsiveness, therapists of many orientations are pondering how to apply these findings in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Previous books relating attachment theory to clinical concerns have been heavily theoretically and research-based, with little for the practicing clinician to grab hold of and use. In contrast, Brisch squarely takes on the challenge of articulating for the practicing clinician how attachment concepts can inform clinical process, as 'lived' in the immediacy of the clinical hour. Using a dazzling array of case material from infancy to adulthood, he illustrates the breadth of application of attachment concepts in clinical work and draws out the subtle recentering of clinical stance that can result from an attachment perspective. By bringing attachment concepts into the center of the therapeutic encounter, Brisch's volume opens a rich clinical-theoretical dialogue with both object relations theory and cognitive-behavioral approaches. This clinical debate will surely occupy and enrich all of us for the rest of the decade."--Karlen Lyons-Ruth, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School "Dr. Brisch presents an outstanding overview of attachment theory and research, a highly informative discussion of attachment disorders across the lifespan, and an insightful presentation of attachment-oriented psychotherapy. This excellent volume will appeal to professionals from a multitude of disciplines involved with the diagnosis and treatment of attachment disorders."--Byron Egeland, PhD, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota About the Author Karl Heinz Brisch, MD, is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and psychotherapist, as well as an adult psychiatrist and neurologist; a training psychoanalyst at the Psychoanalytic Institute; and head of the Department of Pediatric Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at the Children¿s Hospital at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Germany. Dr. Brisch¿s primary research is on the development of infants and children with high-risk conditions and the development of attachment and its disorders. He has led longitudinal research projects on attachment disturbances and early psychotherapeutic interventions. He is a member of the World Association of Infant Mental Health and of the Society for Research in Child Development.